1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for releasably mounting plastic trash bags and holding the mouth of the bag open. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a device with an adjustable configuration, and which can be disposed in a variety of bag-supporting configurations to hold the bag upright as well as in a horizontal position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Receptacle bags for collecting lawn debris, trash and other materials are generally made of very flexible polyethylene and can be difficult for one person to load and fill. Thus the prior art includes several examples of devices for handling flexible plastic refuse bags so as to facilitate the filling of the bag by holding the bag mouth open. Examples of prior designs are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,031,948, 4,768,742, 4,048,691, 3,733,099, and 3,711,141. These all include some kind of a handle connected to a rigid support frame that is designed to hold the mouth of the bag open, and feature various methodologies for releasably attaching the bag to the support frame, to support the bag in a horizontally disposed loading position or in an upright loading position. While each of the aforementioned arrangements facilitate in particular ways the task of collecting refuse in a garbage bag, they nevertheless have limitations and drawbacks, and there remains the need for further improvement to the state of the art of bag supporters. For example, there are certain applications to which prior designs do not lend themselves.